Author: 5amResearch

from the retaliatory-animus dept A federal judge has delivered an extraordinary rebuke to the FTC’s Andrew Ferguson, finding that his investigation into Media Matters was motivated by “retaliatory animus” rather than legitimate antitrust concerns. In a scathing ruling, Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan granted Media Matters’ motion for a preliminary injunction, calling out not just the investigation’s pretextual nature, but the systematic pattern of harassment the organization has faced for accurate reporting. Courts almost never find that federal agencies act with…

We speak with ACLU lawyer Eunice Cho about a new federal lawsuit brought on behalf of immigrants held at the detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The detainees allege being routinely subjected to human rights abuses, denied due process and access to legal counsel, while families have complained of being unable to find their loved ones “disappeared” into the facility. “These are basic constitutional rights that are afforded to anybody that is held in government custody. And…

ING Belgium INGA.AS is under investigation as part of an ongoing probe into alleged money laundering by former European Union commissioner Didier Reynders – who denies the charge. “The public prosecutor’s office confirms an investigation has been opened. No further comments will be made,” said a spokesperson for the Belgian prosecutor’s department on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report in Le Soir newspaper. The investigation will examine ING Belgium’s role in holding one of Reynders’ bank accounts, which had large sums…

CIBanco filed a complaint against the US Treasury Department before the Federal Court of the District of Columbia, following accusations against it of facilitating money laundering for criminal organizations. With this appeal, the Mexican bank seeks to stop the order issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at the end of June, which will disconnect it from the US financial system on September 4. The lawsuit was filed on August 17 in the U.S. District Court for the District…

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign, intensifying his effort to gain influence over the central bank on the basis of allegations made by one of his allies about mortgages Cook holds in Michigan and Georgia. US Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in a post on X earlier on Wednesday that Cook had designated a condo in Atlanta as her primary residence after taking a loan on her home…

Decide for yourself based on the facts: Iraq 1997: Nuclear weapons program dismantling is complete. By 2003, US invaded. Ukraine 1991: Ukraine inherits the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world following the collapse of the Soviet Union. 5 years later, it transfers all nuclear warheads to Russia under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances. They said “trust us” so I assume everything was fine after that. Libya 2008: Libya completed the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program. 3…

from the seems-bad dept Here we go again. Whenever policy makers insist that there’s some “nerd harder” solution to tricky societal problems, actual experts have to spend a ridiculous amount of time explaining basic realities to them. Sometimes those are realities about the technology. And sometimes it’s realities about the technology. This time it’s age verification’s turn. Steve Bellovin—one of the most respected security researchers out there, and instrumental in showing why “safe” crypto backdoors can’t exist—just published a short…

WASHINGTON – American President Donald Trump revoked the security clearance of 37 current and former national security officials, many of whom worked on Russia analysis or foreign threats to US elections, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Mr Trump has stripped security clearances throughout his administration, including from his best-known rivals like former president Joe Biden. But the actions announced on Aug 19 were a deeper cut, pushing far into the national security establishment. At least…

Washington used the Magnitsky Act, a US law which provides for sanctions against individuals accused of human rights violations around the globe, to impose restrictions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s alleged coup plot. Moraes is also the judge which banned the social network X, formerly Twitter, in Brazil last year. “Judge Flavio Dino, of the Federal Supreme Court, suspended the effectiveness of judicial decisions, laws, decrees, and…

Toronto – Air Canada’s flight attendants went on strike on Aug 16, as the airline announced a complete shutdown of operations, creating summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers. “We are now officially on strike,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants, said in a statement. Air Canada, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, said it had “suspended all operations” in response to the work stoppage. “Air Canada is strongly advising…

After President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., his efforts hit a roadblock in federal court as the city’s attorney general challenged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s order stripping the local police chief of power. On Friday, Bondi issued a new order that does not take power from the mayor or police chief, but instead says they must provide services Bondi deems “necessary and appropriate.” NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard reports for Saturday TODAY.

ZURICH (Reuters) -Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus on Friday said it has temporarily halted deliveries of its PC-12 and PC-24 business jets to the United States, saying steep new U.S. tariffs put the company at “significant competitive disadvantage”. The U.S. is a key market for Pilatus, accounting for around 40% of annual PC-12 and PC-24 production, said the company based in Stans, central Switzerland. “The new customs tariff imposed by the U.S. authorities represents a significant competitive disadvantage for Pilatus,” said…

ATLANTA – An active shooter incident at the Fort Stewart US Army base in Georgia has resulted in casualties, authorities said, and the base has been put on lockdown. “The installation was locked down at 11.04am and law enforcement is on the scene,” Fort Stewart said in a Facebook post, adding the incident happened in the 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team area and that casualties had been reported. No further information was immediately available, including the number of casualties and…

CAIRO – The United Arab Emirates has banned Sudanese planes from landing at its airports, Sudan’s state news agency quoted its Civil Aviation Authority as saying on Wednesday, in the latest sign of tension between the two countries. The UAE also barred a Sudanese airliner from taking off from Abu Dhabi airport, the Sudanese authority said. Sudan’s authority voiced surprise at the reported decision and said it was following up with airlines to reprogramme reservations for passengers arriving in and…

NEW YORK, August 6 – A U.S. jury deadlocked on Wednesday on money laundering and sanctions evasion charges against the founder of Tornado Cash, a firm that makes cryptocurrency transactions harder to track. The jury in Manhattan federal court could not reach a verdict on charges Roman Storm conspired to launder the proceeds of hacks, including by a sanctioned North Korean government-backed group. But the jury found him guilty of the less serious charge of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money…